DexertoYouTube revealed it paid out more than $100 billion to creators, artists, and media companies since 2021 through its revenue-sharing ad model.
“Twenty years ago, YouTube launched with the idea that everyone should have the opportunity to create and find a global stage,” Chief Product Officer Johanna Voolich said in a blog post. “Since then, we’ve seen creators shape culture and entertainment in ways we never thought possible.”
Voolich added that anyone with an idea, “whether an individual, artist, studio, or brand” — can build a business on YouTube, and that the company has distributed $100B globally since 2021.
The growth has been driven in part by connected TV audiences. YouTube said the number of channels earning more than $100,000 from TV screen viewership jumped 45% year over year.
YouTube’s AI-powered tools take center stage
Alongside the payout milestone, YouTube showcased new AI integrations. The platform is rolling out Google DeepMind’s Veo 3 Fast, which automatically generates highlights from livestreams and formats them into ready-to-share Shorts.
YouTube also unveiled new tools to help creators detect deepfakes of themselves, doubling down on safety as AI-generated content grows more sophisticated.
While the $100B payout underscores YouTube’s dominant position in the creator economy, the company has also faced backlash over how it implements ads.
In 2024, YouTube introduced pause screen ads, and in 2025 it revealed plans to use AI to time ads when viewers are most emotionally invested, making them harder to skip.
At the same time, YouTube has raised the price of its Premium subscriptions, while offering cheaper tiers like Premium Lite, an ad-free option without the full feature set.
